‘Local Hero’ Suzanne helps raise cash for Prince’s Trust

Suzanne McGinty (left) will travel to London next week to attend the Prince's Trust Ambassador Awards.

Published:18:07Wednesday 07 March 2012

Share this article

AN EMPLOYEE at the Bute contact centre owned by international firm HEROtsc will attend the annual Prince’s Trust Ambassador Awards in London next week after helping to spearhead a fund-raising drive among the company’s staff in aid of the charity.

Suzanne McGinty, a team manager at the firm’s Rothesay centre, will join three colleagues from the firm’s Kilmarnock operation at the gala ceremony at the Odeon in Leicester Square on Wednesday, March 14.

Together the ‘Hero Lasses’, as they called themselves, encouraged their colleagues in Rothesay and Kilmarnock to raise more than £10,500 for the Trust at a range of fun events including a fashion show, DJ night, bag-packing day, baking stalls and raffles.

“We had the opportunity last summer to apply for the Million Makers’ Challenge being run by the Prince’s Trust,” Suzanne told The Buteman, “and TSC entered two teams from Scotland and one from England.

“We went to meet the Trust last July and went through a Dragon’s Den style selection process, where teams compete for an award of up to £1,500 which you can use to turn into as much money as possible.

“I want to say a big thank you to everybody in Rothesay who contributed - members of the public as well as work colleagues were really generous with their donations, and the amount we raised between the sites in Rothesay and Kilmarnock helped us win the Scottish heat of the Challenge.”

Victory in the Scottish heat won the Hero Lasses a trip to next week’s Ambassador Awards, at which Prince Charles and lots of other famous faces will present awards to people who have set up businesses, turned lives around and supported disadvantaged children through the Prince’s Trust.

As well as raising money for the Trust, the Challenge also helped Suzanne and the rest of the ‘Hero Lasses’ pick up valuable career development skills in areas such as accounting, giving public presentations and preparing business plans,

“The big selling point that encouraged me to get involved was hearing the experiences of some of the Trust’s Young Ambassadors at the very first introduction day,” Suzanne added.

“As soon as you hear their stories you can’t help but be inspired by them.”